Post-doctoral researcher in bias evaluation and mitigation for 3D facial reconstruction

About the role

IMT Atlantique, a general engineering school within Institut Mines-Télécom, is hiring a post-doctoral researcher for its Data Science department on the ANR-DFG 3DFaceBias project. The project measures, explains and reduces accuracy disparities when reconstructing a 3D face from 2D photographs. You will lead the IMT Atlantique research on bias evaluation and mitigation, working with the German principal investigator and his team at FAU, under the scientific supervision of Sarah Matta.

Key responsibilities

• Audit bias in 3D face reconstruction from 2D images
• Identify the sources of bias through data-centric analysis
• Design and evaluate data-centric strategies to mitigate bias
• Contribute to cross-cutting project activities

Required profile

• Ph.D. obtained less than 3 years before the hiring date
• Strong experience in empirical machine-learning research and advanced statistical methods
• Rigorous experimental design: controlled comparisons, uncertainty, confounding, distribution shifts and prevention of data leakage
• Independence, scientific initiative and ability to formulate hypotheses and prioritise experiments
• Good written and spoken scientific English, including academic writing

Required skills

• Proficiency in Python and a machine-learning framework such as PyTorch; ability to modify, test and debug research code
• Computer vision, 3D reconstruction, 3D geometry, statistical shape models or medical image computing
• Algorithmic fairness, robustness, generalisation, dataset preparation or synthetic image generation
• Performance and bias evaluation: subgroup analyses, interpretation of disparities and assessment of limitations
• Rigor, reproducibility, documentation and collaborative management of code and data

Previous expertise in 3D facial reconstruction is an asset; specialist geometry and reconstruction skills can be developed during the project. The contract is a fixed-term (CDD) of 36 months, renewable, starting 1 March 2027, with an indicative salary of €35,800 gross per year. Benefits include a cafeteria, leisure and sports offers, public transport subsidies, family allowance, partial teleworking and generous leave.